Car-coupling



(No Model.)

F. M. WILDER.

GAR COUPLING.

No 394,745. a Patented Dec. 18, 1888.

d291, Jig-3:

k; nvvmro/a.

M 'Mm I M ATTORNEY- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS MILTON \VILDER, OF NEIY YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE CONSOLIDATED COUPLING COMPANY, OF

NEIV JERSEY.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 394,745, dated December 18, 1888. Application filed July 19, 1887. Serial No. 244,685. (No model.)

York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Couplings, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the method and means employed for coupling cars provided with dissimilar couplings and of varying height. It is a matter of 'frequent occurrence that cars provided with dissimilar couplings have to be connected together to form a train, and it is essential that some means be provided not only to couple them, but to take up the slack between the cars. Again, different classes of cars have frequently to be c0upled as, for instance, a short car with fixed axles with a long car with swinging trucks. \Vhere two such cars are brought together, if the draw-bar occupies a fixed position relatively to the body of the car, as is commonly the case in this country-tl1atis to say, has no lateral motionit will be found that in rounding a curve the long car will throw the small car off the track. To overcome this tendency and to provide a suitable coupling I have devised the mechanism which Iwill nowproeeed to describe.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view showing an American railway-car coupled to a railway-carriage of English construction. This figure illustrates more particularly the arrangement of the draw-head relatively to the body of the car, as also the relation of the buffing-surfaces to each other. Fig. 2 is an end view f rom. the front of the platform of an American car, and shows the arrangement of the draw-head and lmlfing-surfaces. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the car-bodies, taken on the line X X of Fig. 1, and shows the coupling-links employed.

In the drawings, A represents the framework of an American car, and B a draw-head or coupling device of the class known as vertical plain couplers. The draw-head B is secured between the beams A and A by means of the angle-iron stops (J C,bolted to the beams. The end of the draw-head is provided with the screwD, and E F are two follower-plates, between which is located a helical or other suitable spring, G.

H is a nut on the screw D, by which the tension of the spring G may be adjusted.

I are leaf-springs secured to the beams A and A and bearing at their outer ends upon the sides of the draw-head, thereby tending to keep the draw-head in a central position.

The draw-head B is held in the saddle .I, Fig. 2, which is made sufficiently wide to allow a certain amount of lateral play of the draw-head relatively to the axial line of the car.

K K are platform-buffers, such as are commonly employed with couplers of this class.

L are plates adapted to be attached to a platform, M, of an American car, and on which the buffers Nsuch as are usually employed on foreign-made cars bear and play. In order to prevent the buffers N from rising above the platform M of an American car, the bufferplate L is provided with a top or extended portion, 0. (Shown in Fig. 3.)

In Fig. 3 the coupling-hook P of the foreign cars is shown, and over the hook the link Q, bifurcated to lay over and in the orifice of the coupler of the American car.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. 1, the drawhead is shown in dotted line, illustrating that when cars coupled as shown take a curve the draw-head has sufficient capacity for lat- O eral displacement to bring the line of traction in the axial line of the shortest car. As a consequence, the coupling will always remain intact, and there will be no tendency of the short car to leave the track.

I do not limit myself to these specific mechanisms shown and described, as it is obvious that many mechanical changes may be made therein without departing from the intent of my invention. 0

I do not broadly claim an oscillating drawbar, as such draw-bars have been made in which the end of the bar has a pivotal hearing or point of connection around which it may oscillate. In my device, on the other hand, there is no such point of support for the end of the bar, it; beingheld in the rea ear-platform, of the buffer-plates L 'L, pr oquired position by means of the springand vided with the extended tops 0 on each side plates. of said platform, substantially as described.

I claim as my invention- Inv witness whereof I have hereunto set my 5 1. The combination,withacar-platform and I hand this 18th day of July, 1887.

an oscillatingdraW-head, of the buffer-plates I, T w H T r l a L L, provided with the extended tops 0 on 1 JULIO} each side of said plal'lorm, substantially as I \Viiuesses: described. J AS. I1. FOGERTY, IO 2. The combination, with a draw-head and IRA R. SJTEWARD. 

